Salem The Podcast

We return to our discussion of Witch Trials victim, Sarah Good. In part 1 we covered much of her life leading up to her arrest and trial. Now let's dive into the details of those accusations! Join Sarah and Jeffrey, your favorite Salem tour guides, as they talk about strange spectors, dead cattle, pinching children, and the horrors and what being accused of witchcraft meant for Sarah Good and her...

This week we are back in 1692 and talking about another victim of the Salem Witch Trials.  Sarah Good, a homeless woman with a newborn child and a four-year-old daughter. One of the first to be accused and arrested. The first to be questioned. Join Sarah and Jeffrey, your favorite Salem tour guides, as they discuss the complex and tragic life of a woman whose less-than-pleasant reputation may have...

We've got plenty in the works for the rest of this year. Listen for a little recap and news of what's to come!

LIVE from Diehl Marcus & Company on July 11th

Have you ever been to 11 Central Street, where the wonderful Diehl Marcus and Company is located? If not, you are certainly missing out! One of the finest stores in Salem, DM&Co harkens back to the Great Age of Sail with their antiques, teas, and candles. Join Jeffrey and Sarah, your favorite Salem tour guides, as they sit down with Christian and Erika, the owners of this fine establishment. You'l...

What's up guys?! We've got a little update for you! Listen to hear details about our upcoming live show and what we know about the trafficking of human remains from Harvard Morgue. CLICK HERE to buy tickets to our 2nd LIVE SHOW   For more info on the Harvard morgue scandal:  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12195617/Harvard-Medical-School-morgue-manager-stole-heads-brains-skin-bones-donate...

We are all descended from someone. In fact, we are descended from thousands of people! The Salem Witch Trials took place over three centuries ago and today there are millions of people who can trace their lineage back to those involved; accused, executed, exonerated, and judges alike. Join Sarah and Jeffrey as they talk about some of the more famous descendants, as well as numbers, family trees, w...

We may not be in Salem's Great Age of Sail anymore, but that doesn't mean you can't go out and enjoy the harbor! And what better way to see Salem's coastline than on board a hand-made, locally owned and operated floating Tiki bar? Join Jeffrey and Sarah as they chat with Captain Scott and "Drink Mate" Karen about bringing their vision to life, doing what they love, and of course, Tiki.   Intereste...

Book reports are due! Did Sarah and Jeffrey do their homework? Absolutely. Join us as Sarah covers Hawthorne's first major novel The Scarlet Letter and Jeffrey covers The House of the Seven Gables. Let's talk about Hester Prynn, adultery, and puritanical laws; how people are burdened by the past and how the sins of the father are the problems we must deal with in the present. Both of these books,...

Sometimes called Salem's favorite son, Nathaniel Hawthorne remains one of Witch City's most famous residents. He was a novelist, a poet, and a short story writer. You might be familiar with The Scarlet Letter, but this week we take a look at the author behind the words. Join your favorite Salem tour guides, Jeffrey and Sarah, as they discuss everything from his birthday, to his mustache. Venture b...

Perhaps one day we'll summon Caroline Emmerton from the grave... But until then, we got you the next best thing: David Moffat, Visitor Services Specialist at The House of the Seven Gables. David is a wealth of information about the site, the buildings, the history, and everything that goes with it. Join us for a fantastic history lesson inside one of the oldest buildings we've ever recorded in. We...

There are very few individual people who have had as much of an impact on Salem as Caroline Emmerton. Philanthropist is the best word to describe her, but she did so much for Salem that it also falls short. Join Jeffrey and Sarah, your favorite Salem tour guides, as they weave through Caroline's life and talk about how she took the Turner-Ingersoll Mansion (aka House of Seven Gables), preserved it...

Sarah Osbourne. Roger Toothaker. Mercy Good. Ann Foster. Lydia Dustin. Casualties of the Salem Witch Trials are traditionally taught as 19 hanged and 1 tortured to death. However, there were an additional 5 people who died in jail. Join Sarah and Jeffrey, your favorite Salem tour guides, as they unravel the stories of these individuals. A woman sitting on a land dispute, a man practicing folk magi...

Vanessa Hudgens recently premiered her documentary on witchcraft and the paranormal. Her and her friend, GG Magree, embarked on a journey to Salem, Massachusetts where they did a bit of ghost hunting at Turners and Bunghole, got some lessons in witchcraft from practitioners at Pentagram and Ascend, and so much more. We just had to watch! Join your favorite Salem tour guides Jeffrey and Sarah as th...

Salem is a wildly diverse city, with a historical pattern that is just as complex. Our little coastal new england city so often reflects the larger goings on in the country. Salem 1854: Charlotte Forten, born and raised in Philadelphia, became the first African American student at the Higginson Grammar School for Girls in Salem. She went on become the first African American to graduate from what i...

As the first appointed Royal Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Sir William Phips is integral to the complicated story that is the Salem Witch Trials. He forms the famous Court of Oyer and Terminer, and 7 months later he's the one to dissolve it and make all spectral evidence illegal. Was it too little too late? Could he have gone against the will of the people? Join your favorite Salem tou...

Rounding out our historic location/restaurant trilogy, we decided to go to one of the most iconic places in Salem: Red’s Sandwich Shop! Coffee in hand, we sat down INSIDE historic Red’s with one of the new owners, Kelly Homan. A Salem native who grew up near Gallows Hill, Kelly went from hostess to owner in just 10 years. Join your favorite Salem tour guides Sarah and Jeffrey as they talk coffee,...

(AKA the First Church, Daniel Low & Co., and Rockafellas) Get your mystery shots ready because we're diving into the history of Town House Square! We've got witch trials, Revolution, retail, death, hauntings, tunnels, and so much more. Was it the Blue Lady, or perhaps just Daniel Low in his blue suit?! This location is absolutely drenched in history. Join your favorite local tour guides as they ex...

If you ask where the best seafood restaurant in Salem is, most people will say Turner's without hesitation. But, like so many things in this town, there is more to a place than meets the eye. From 1830 to 1894 this was home to the Salem Lyceum Hall. Like the thousands of lyceums across the country, Salem's was used to provide education and "rational entertainment!" Join Sarah and Jeffrey, your fav...

This one's a little different... This week's episode was recorded LIVE at Far From the Tree in Salem. Thank you to our hosts and to all the listeners who joined us that evening. So, are you dry or wet? Do you know what the 18th Amendment entailed? What do you know about prohibition, rum-running, bootlegging, speakeasies, and the wild ride that was the roaring 20s? Join Sarah and Jeffrey, your favo...

Huzzah! Has it really been a year? 55 EPISODES (and then some). Over 300 years, witch trials, local interviews, woodcarvers, merchants, millionaires, elephants, witches, lobsters, murderers, cemeteries, and of course, haunted pepper! It has been a wonderful and wild year. Join Sarah and Jeffrey, your favorite Salem tour guides, as they go over some of the best moments, worst hiccups, and their fav...

During the Great Age of Sail, Salem's harbor grew larger, and the world became smaller. Merchants traveled the globe and brought back with them various wonders from foreign lands. And one of the most prominent, Joseph Crowninshield, invested in something never before seen on his side of the Atlantic: an elephant. Join your favorite Salem tour guides as they share with you the true story of America...

While the infamous “shot heard round the world” may have been in Concord, Massachusetts on April 19, 1775, the first blood drawn and first retreat of English Regulars was actually here, in Salem. On February 26th, 1775 Col. Leslie of the 64th Regiment, along with nearly 300 soldiers were halted at the north river, unable to complete their mission, unable to find Salem's hidden guns. Join your favo...

Get tickets for the live show HERE   This young woman's experience exists at the heart of the Salem Witch Trials. And while we will likely never know Tituba's true intentions or motivations, we do know that she confessed. In part 2, we will read HER words and see how the magistrates pushed her to tell a perfect tale. Join your favorite Salem tour guides as they discuss Tituba Indian's role in 1692...